Here is one solution for the desired region in Python/OpenCV. It is to use division normalization rather than adaptive thresholding. (This may or may not work for other regions.)

• Read the input
• Specify crop coordinates for rectangle
• Crop the image
• Blur the cropped image
• Divide the input by the blurred image
• Save the result

Input:

import cv2
import numpy as np

# read the input
img = cv2.imread('equador.png')

# specify the crop rectangle
# 364 396 359 453   (y iy x ix)
x1 = 359
y1 = 364
x2 = 453
y2 = 396

# crop the input
crop = img[y1:y2, x1:x2]

# blur
blur = cv2.GaussianBlur(crop, (0,0), sigmaX=99, sigmaY=99)

# divide
divide = cv2.divide(crop, blur, scale=255)

# put the divide back into the input
result = img.copy()
result[y1:y2, x1:x2] = divide

# save results
cv2.imwrite('equador_crop.png', crop)
cv2.imwrite('equador_crop_blur.png', blur)
cv2.imwrite('equador_crop_divide.png', divide)
cv2.imwrite('equador_crop_divide_result.png', result)


# show results
cv2.imshow('crop', crop)
cv2.imshow('blur', blur)
cv2.imshow('divide', divide)
cv2.imshow('result', result)
cv2.waitKey(0)

Cropped Image:

Blurred Image:

Division Normalized Crop:

Division Normalized Replace:

Note: you may prefer to convert the cropped image to grayscale before blurring and then divide the grayscale version by the blurred image.

The main issue is that the result of adaptiveThreshold has gaps in the external edge, so you can't use it as input to findContours.

I think that using GaussianBlur makes things worst, because it blurs the edge between the hand and the background.

You may use the following stages:

• Convert frame to Grayscale.
• Apply adaptiveThreshold with large kernel size (I used size 51).
  Using a large kernel size, keeps a thick edge line without gaps (except from a small gap at the fingernail).
• Find contours.
  Find the contour with the maximum area.
• Draw the contour (fill with solid value of 255) on a zeros image.
  There is a problem: the inner part of the hand is not filled due to the weird shape of the contour.
• For complete the filling:
  Find the center of the contour, and fill it using floodFill.

Here is a Python code sample:

import numpy as np
import cv2

frame = cv2.imread("hand.jpg")  # Read image from file (for testing).

gray = cv2.cvtColor(frame, cv2.COLOR_BGR2GRAY)  # Use BGR to Gray conversion (not RGBA, because image is read from file)

# Apply adaptiveThreshold with large filter size.
thres_gray = cv2.adaptiveThreshold(gray, 255, cv2.ADAPTIVE_THRESH_GAUSSIAN_C, cv2.THRESH_BINARY_INV, 51, 2)

# Find contours (external contours)
cnts, hier = cv2.findContours(thres_gray, cv2.RETR_EXTERNAL, cv2.CHAIN_APPROX_NONE)

# Find contour with the maximum area
c = max(cnts, key=cv2.contourArea)

res = np.zeros_like(gray)  # Create new zeros images for storing the result.

# Fill the contour with white color - draw the filled contour on res image.
cv2.drawContours(res, [c], -1, 255, -1)

# Compute the center of the contour
# https://www.pyimagesearch.com/2016/02/01/opencv-center-of-contour/
M = cv2.moments(c)
cX = int(M["m10"] / M["m00"])
cY = int(M["m01"] / M["m00"])

# Use floodFill for filling the center of the contour
cv2.floodFill(res, None, (cX, cY), 255)

# Show images for testing
cv2.imshow('thres_gray', thres_gray)
cv2.imshow('res', res)
cv2.waitKey()
cv2.destroyAllWindows()

Results:

thres_gray:

res before floodFill:

res after floodFill:

JAVA implementation:

package myproject;

import org.opencv.core.Core;
import org.opencv.core.Mat;
import org.opencv.core.CvType;
import org.opencv.core.Scalar;
import org.opencv.core.Point;
import org.opencv.core.MatOfPoint;
import org.opencv.imgproc.Imgproc;
import org.opencv.imgproc.Moments;
import org.opencv.imgcodecs.Imgcodecs;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.ArrayList;

class Sample {
    

static { System.loadLibrary(Core.NATIVE_LIBRARY_NAME); }


  
public static void main(String[] args) {
    Mat frame = Imgcodecs.imread("hand.jpg");
    
    Mat gray = new Mat();
    Mat thres_gray = new Mat();
    
    Imgproc.cvtColor(frame, gray, Imgproc.COLOR_BGR2GRAY);
    
    //Apply adaptiveThreshold with large filter size.
    Imgproc.adaptiveThreshold(gray, thres_gray, 255, Imgproc.ADAPTIVE_THRESH_GAUSSIAN_C, Imgproc.THRESH_BINARY_INV, 51, 2);    
      
    List<MatOfPoint> contours = new ArrayList<>();
    Mat hierarchy = new Mat();
    
    //Find contours
    Imgproc.findContours(thres_gray, contours, hierarchy, Imgproc.RETR_EXTERNAL, Imgproc.CHAIN_APPROX_NONE);

    //Find contour with the maximum area
    //https://stackoverflow.com/questions/38759925/how-to-find-largest-contour-in-java-opencv
    double maxVal = 0;
    int maxValIdx = 0;
    for (int contourIdx = 0; contourIdx < contours.size(); contourIdx++)
    {
        double contourArea = Imgproc.contourArea(contours.get(contourIdx));
        if (maxVal < contourArea)
        {
            maxVal = contourArea;
            maxValIdx = contourIdx;
        }
    }
       
    Mat res = Mat.zeros(gray.size(), CvType.CV_8UC1);    //Create new zeros images for storing the result.
    
    Imgproc.drawContours(res, contours, maxValIdx, new Scalar(255), -1);
    
    //Compute the center of the contour
    //https://www.pyimagesearch.com/2016/02/01/opencv-center-of-contour/
    Moments M = Imgproc.moments(contours.get(maxValIdx));
    int cX = (int)(M.get_m10() / M.get_m00());
    int cY = (int)(M.get_m01() / M.get_m00());    

    //Use floodFill for filling the center of the contour.    
    Mat mask = Mat.zeros(res.rows() + 2, res.cols() + 2, CvType.CV_8UC1);
    Imgproc.floodFill(res, mask, new Point(cX, cY), new Scalar(255));
       
    Imgcodecs.imwrite("res.png", res);
}

}